Newspapers tells us that teens are depressed and terrorized by their phones. These kids in The Times focus group sure don't sound like that.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/21/opinion/teen-youth-focus-group.html
@briansniffen @jeffjarvis "trained to be hurt by the aspects of unmediated life"?
I don't know what world you live in, but in the world I live in, you don't have to be "trained" to be hurt by unmediated life. "Unmediated life" is extremely hurtful by default. "Life is hard" is a saying for a reason.
Some folks find refuge in booze. Others deal with the pain by hurting others. These kids find refuge in online communities. That sounds extremely healthy to me.